In brief

The average person will be worse off under Gordon Brown's Budget, according to predictions by Britain's top accountants. LexisNexis, which provides information to the accounting and legal professions, polled the top 30 accountancy firms to find out what they expect the Chancellor to do next week. Seventy-three per cent forecast a tax rise on cigarettes, while 40 per cent expect increases in National Insurance as well as higher duties on petrol and alcohol.

Nearly two-thirds would like to see inheritance tax reduced. 'There are some very simple and effective ways of reducing this tax burden,' said LexisNexis' Jon Golding. 'My expectation is that the Chancellor will do something dramatic, such as withdraw the option to rewrite a deceased's will [to minimise inheritance tax]. That may have spur people to lift their heads out of the sand and start looking to reduce or eliminate this tax.'

Charity cover

A new website gives money to charity every time a motor or home insurance policy is taken out. Givesure.co.uk is backed by insurance brokers Grove and Dean in conjunction with charity campaigners Sweetapple and will donate at least £20 to one of its current partners - Everyman, The Food Chain, SANE or the National Missing Persons Helpline - for each policy it sells. The money can be split between charities if preferred.

The site offers car, motorbike, van and home insurance quotes from more than 30 insurers and plans to offer travel insurance later in the year.

For your benefit

Families of disabled children may not be getting all the benefits they are entitled to because of unwieldy forms and a benefits system that is difficult to understand. To address this, disability charity Contact A Family is launching a three-year campaign, Pounds for Parents, to help parents to claim what is theirs. Contact A Family can be reached on 0808 808 3555 or at www.cafamily.org.uk.